By Omoniyi Salaudeen and Onyedika Agbedo
Hon Zakari Muhammed, representing Baruten/ Kaiama Federal Constituency in Kwara State, needs no introduction. As a former Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Media and Public Affairs, he is one of those lawmakers who made the 7th National Assembly thick, providing information on the activities of the parliament. This is in addition to his membership of various other committees like public accounts, solid minerals as well as youth and social development, among others.
Following the political realignment that culminated in the formation of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the build up to the 2015 general elections, Muhammed toed the footpath of his political godfather, Senator Bukola Saraki, and dumped the Peoples Democratic Party, the platform on which he contested and won the seat in 2011. He was subsequently returned elected in 2015 using the banner of his new party (APC).
He is currently the Chairman, House Committee on Basic Education Services and Chairman House of Representatives Ad-Hoc Committee on Investigation of Oil Swap Agreement. In a mission statement posted on his facebook, Muhammed says his target as a lawmaker is to make Laws for the common good of Nigerians and his Constituents, citing defence, communications, energy, sports, information and transportation as his major legislative interests.
To this end, he has two bills, four motions of urgent importance and five reports bordering on the state of basic education in Nigeria to his credit in his six years of service in the green chamber. The bills, according to information made available to Sunday Sun, are bills for an act to separate the office of the Accountant General of the Federation from the Accountant of Federal Account Allocation Commission (FAAC) to ensure equitable distribution of federal revenues within the three tiers of government as well as a bill for an act to peg the tenure of Director of Library Services to two terms instead of the current open ended practice. Nonetheless, for a two- term lawmaker, this performance is not in any way commensurate to the huge salaries and allowances being enjoyed by each member of the legislature. This implies that nothing significant has changed in the attitude of lawmakers in terms of their contributions to the business of lawmaking. Under the leadership of former Speaker Aminu Tambuwal in the 7th National Assembly, no fewer than 191 lawmakers out of 360 member legislature were listed for not sponsoring a single bill in four years. It is, therefore, most likely that the same scenario would play out by the time each member of the present National Assembly is also subjected to public scrutiny.
Muhammed has also been part of the sustained campaign against the spread of HIV/AIDS, advocating abolition of stigmatization of the victims. “Abolishing stigmatization should be our goal at this time. We should learn to give equal opportunities to those living with HIV and learn to tolerate them in the course of our everyday lives, while remaining faithful. We should stop the spread of the virus. Spread the message, don’t spread the virus,” he wrote on his facebook.
In the heat of the recent crisis that engulfed the House of Representatives between Speaker Yagubu Dogara and the embattled former chairman, House Committee on Appropriation, Hon Abdulmunin Jibrin, Muhammed was among the lawmakers accused of financial impropriety bordering on budget padding. But responding to the accusation in his facebook, he said: “I am more than ready to appear before any agency or anywhere to prove my innocence. I have no skeletons in my cupboard. Ordinarily, I would have ignored his face-saving tweets, but the fact that he is deceptively carrying many Nigerians along makes it imperative to protect my hard-earned integrity and about 10 years of unblemished career as a political office holder. He was so overwhelmed by his ambition to drag me into his plot to the extent that he referred to me as the chairman of the House Committee on higher education because of his orchestrated mission against me. I have no file with EFCC or its allied agencies but the same cannot be said of the former Appropriation Committee chairman. Nigerians should, therefore, disregard his accusations because they are as a result of frustration of his removal.”
In line with his responsibility as Chairman, Ad-Hoc Committee on Investigation of Oil Swap Agreement, Muhammed is currently preoccupied with the probing of the activities of various agencies of government in the oil industry. According to him, the Federal Inland Revenue Service had disclosed before the committee that two major oil marketers engaged by Petroleum Pricing Marketing Company, PPMC, for the crude oil for petroleum products otherwise called ‘oil swap’ failed to pay taxes worth $651 million in four years.
His words: “From the amount, Transfigura defaulted in paying taxes worth $642,536,470, while Duke Oil owes $4.7 million on imported petroleum products under the swap deal between 2010 and 2014.
This disclosure, Muhammed said, was made by the FIRS Director, Olayemi Ajayi, while addressing the House of Representatives Ad-hoc Committee investigating oil swap agreement estimated at $24 billion.”
“While giving update on the activities of Customs on importation of petroleum products into the county, Anthony Ayalogu, NCS Assistant Comptroller (Trade and Tariff) informed the committee that Customs had been prohibited from participating in the verification and ascertaining the actual petroleum products imported into the country through a letter from a former Permanent Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Finance since 2008. Worried by the security implication of the purported letter, Chairman of the Committee, Zakari Mohammed, directed that the letter be set aside immediately. He mandated the Comptroller General of Customs to verify and ascertain vessels importing petroleum products into the country.”
Born on July 7, 1970, Muhammed began his political exploits which climaxed in his election as a member of the House of Representatives about 10 years ago.
Before his election, he had a brief stint as a commissioner in the administration of former governor Bukola Saraki, representing Kwara North Central in the cabinet.
Thus, as a common saying goes, “To whom much is given, much is expected. Without a doubt, Muhammed would remain externally grateful to the Senate President, Senator Bukola Saraki, for his contributions to his political career as a godfather. Eulogizing Saraki’s exemplary leadership in his birthday greeting in his facebook, he said: “Here is wishing our dear leader a happy birthday. May all the blessings of Almighty Allah converge on you and your family and bless you beyond our imaginations.
You brought joy and goodwill to Kwara and into our lives.
We will cherish you always. You’ve always been awesome; your brilliant mind is a wonderful gift from Allah. On behalf of my constituents, I wish you more years of being ahead of your peers.”
A couple of new grinding machines as well as motorcycles on his face book wall suggest that the lawmaker might have instituted an empowerment programme for the people in his constituent.
However, one of his supporters, who identified himself as Abubakar Asare, in his facebook comment, accused Muhammed of not picking calls.
He said: “My Rt.Hon. Mai jama’a, Haba! Haba!! You’re always busy to even pick calls and return your missed ones from me your own. Am I not even supposed to be part of the throwback too? Ok! No wahala!